Making the most of Cuxhaven
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Cruise ships berth at Europe or Humber Quay. Cuxhaven's cruise terminal has usual services including 2 restaurants, bus- and taxi-services, tourist information and parking.
The city center is 2.0 km (1.2 miles) away.
The Main Train station is 1.5 km (0.9 miles) away.
For Charter flights only, Cuxhaven-Nordholz airport is 11 km (= 6.8 miles) away; Bremen is 100 km (62.1 miles) and Hamburg 130 km (80.8 miles).
By train, services from Hamburg and Bremen run every hour.
A Fast ferry runs to and from Hamburg in 2 hours and 30 minutes, daily in the summer season; it leaves Hamburg at 09.00 hrs and Cuxhaven at 17.45 hrs.
For Hamburg railway station (=Bahnhof), use underground nr. 3 or the S1 or S3 trams. The ferry stop is called "'Landungsbrucken".
Sightseeing
Alte Liebe (Old Love), a former quai at Cuxhaven harbor entrance, is now a viewing platform with a good view of passing ships; loudspeakers announce their names and origins.
Schloß Ritzebüttel is a small castle-like building near the Nordersteinstraße shopping area.
The Kugelbake marks where the Elbe river ends geographically. Originally a navigation aid, it is one of the region's best-known structures, was added to the Cuxhaven coat of arms when the city was incorporated and remains a primary landmark.
Cuxhaven's Water Tower
Semaphor, beside Alte Liebe, is an 1884 construction used to communicate wind strength and direction to passing ships; it is still set daily.
Getting around
Beach/Dunes are the seaward area exposed as water recedes at low tide, and one of Cuxhaven's main attractions. Walk there, look for crabs and make castles from sand and mud, but beware the tricky rising water. See the video.
Travel around Germany is incredibly easy: the Train network is comfortable, reliable, fast and reasonably priced, and eastern and western systems are now fully merged. German roads are excellent too, making motorised travel a good way to tour the country.
The famous national motorway system, the autobahnen, officially has no overall speed limit. Many stretches do have strictly enforced limits, intended to improve safety and control pollution. If hiring a car, stay in the right lane except to pass; speeds of 200km or more are common.
Taxis are reliable, but expensive.
Nearby places
Nearby cities: Bremen and Hamburg.
Food and shopping
Purchases to consider include precision optical goods such as binoculars and cameras, porcelain, handmade crystal, silver, steel ware, Solingen knives, leather wear, sports equipment, Nuremberg toys and Bavarian Loden cloth. In eastern Germany, look for musical instruments, wooden carved toys from the Erzgebirge Mountains and Meissen china.
Snacks (Schnellimbiss) are widely available in Germany, especially Bock wurst (boiled sausage), Bratwurst (grilled sausage), Curry wurst (spiced sausage), fries and hamburgers.
German fast food is inexpensive, filling and varied, with sausage stands, imbisses and specialist stands offering many choices. Much is Turkish in origin and popular for being cheap and healthy; the favourite Turkish fast food is the Doner Kebab, a thick pita generally filled with chicken or beef, fresh French fries and salad.
Useful Germany information, including tipping and toilets.
Money
Currency: Euro. ATM machines are plentiful.
Ask smaller establishments first whether they take Credit Cards.
Staying connected
German is spoken. Germans have a reputation for punctuality, discipline and a degree of formality. German has two forms of you: "Du" and "Sie"; "Du" is less formal and "Sie" more formal. With people you do not know, almost always use "Sie" and their last name.
Emergency numbers: 110 for Police; 112 for Fire Emergency or Ambulance Call.
Most cafes provide free WiFi.
Cuxhaven has several Webcams.
Opening Hours and
All stores must close by 8 p.m., though some close as early as 6:30 p.m. On Saturdays they close at 1 or 2 p.m.; in major city centres, most remain open until 2 or 4 p.m.
All shops close on Sundays, except some bakeries that open on sunday morning.
Holiday dates include January 1 for New Year's Day and January 6 for Epiphany; Good Friday, Easter and Easter Monday vary; May 1 is Labor Day; Ascension Day varies, usually in May; Whit monday varies, usually mid-May; October 3 is Unity Day; December 25 is Christmas Day; and December 26 is St. Stephan's Day.